Senate Finance Committee Hears Slate Of Education Bills

A series of education bills on the agenda at the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday range from a tax credit for college graduates to funding for charter...

by Elisabeth Harrison

A series of education bills on the agenda at the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday range from a tax credit for college graduates to funding for charter schools.

One bill would give recent college graduates a break on their state income taxes. The idea is to stem the so-called “brain drain,” when local graduates put their newly-minted degrees to work in other states.

The measure would give a maximum $5,000 credit for a worker who received a bachelor’s degree from a local college or university within the last 10 years.

Another bill would allow charter schools to receive more state funding for construction costs. Currently, state law allows charter schools to receive just 30 percent of state funding for the cost of school construction or renovation. This bill would allow charter schools to request a reimbursement equal to the average rate for any school districts they serve.

Also on the docket, a bill to give in-state college tuition to students who are in this country illegally, if they attend and graduate from a local high school. The State Board of Higher Education adopted similar rules several years ago, but they have never been formalized in state law